New Releases from Arch Street Press and 19th Street

Better to Speak of It

Throughout almost everyone’s life, opportunities arise to explore new paths that are rarely visible at the time. Better to Speak of It, a collaboration between Arch Street Press Managing Editor, Robert Rimm, and Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall, Gillinson reflects on the circumstances that led him to become the Executive and creative Director at Carnegie Hall. Better to Speak of Itexplores the vital benefits of innovation and organizational management, serving others and effective partnerships, access and mentoring, budgeting and well-considered risk, media and effective communications, education and lifelong learning, while also examining pervasive management practices that can all too easily lead to stagnation and failure.

Queen of Angels

Queen of Angels is a first novel by David M. Castro and published by Arch Street Press in October, 2016. In it, Castro contrasts Shakespeare with gritty and profane 1970s New York, exploring themes of love, sex, violence, death, faith and coming of age: “These violent delights have violent ends.” The novel captures the angst of teenage love striving for maturity within the context of a high-school production of Romeo and Juliet, crossing the precarious border between flesh and fantasy that the author experienced and observed as a Brooklyn teenager.

“Not only is the novel a compelling exploration of young love, it’s a gripping piece of storytelling.” — Publishers Weekly

Dave has been attending meetings of book groups that have read the book and engaged in lively conversations about the story, and the process of writing a novel. One book club attendee wrote this on Amazon:

“My book club read this novel and what was really cool was that we got to meet the author. This was my favorite novel that we read this year (we read one a month). The characters were so compelling and for those of us who grew up in the 1970’s–not only exciting but believable (not saying I was like any of them!) I finished it in just a few days, compared with other reads this year that I just had to plod through. The story is set in Brooklyn in the 1970s and provides parallels and overlaps with Romeo and Juliet. But it’s much more interesting than a retelling of the story in Brooklyn. In the novel teenagers are putting on a play of Romeo and Juliet while having experiences that parallel the play, but yet are different in interesting and revealing ways. So there’s young love, sex, heartbreak, coming of age, dreamscapes, a crisis of faith, drugs, revenge- set within the backdrop of 1970s- everything is more vibrant and intense than it seemed to be in Shakespeare’s version. It made the Shakespeare come alive too. There are some truly laugh out loud parts and other parts that did make me cry. Also a part of the story focuses on the relationship between sisters. I have sisters and that part really got me too.”